


Going Fishing

by hevevols



Category: Free!
Genre: Dorks in Love, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Tumblr: makoharufestival, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-09 09:17:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3244313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hevevols/pseuds/hevevols
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A fishing trip had been planned, just Makoto and Haru, it had been a day full of bad luck; can they turn it around?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Going Fishing

Makoto's day had been going badly, getting progressively worse as the day went on. First, he had woken up at 5am after an impressive 2 hours of sleep; he had wanted to finish all his work before the weekend so it had made sense to him at time, he decided he had been an idiot. Then, full of regret and caffeine, he waited out the morning watching the early bird news. Nothing much had happened but a lost cat had been found, that was nice, and the weather report said clear skies all weekend. His happy time ended with an ambush from Ren and Ran who, still pyjama clad, tackled him to the ground. It wasn't unusual and it wouldn't have been so bad if only they hadn't collided with the side table. Their mother's new vase, knocked out of place by the impact, teetered on the edge for a few moments before falling of the side and shattering by his face, a shard slicing his cheek. After profusely apologizing, withstanding another lecture from his mother on responsibility and cleaning up his newly received wound, Makoto sat down with his family for breakfast. Soon after that he had left the house, briefly pausing to play with a kitten, and ambled up the stairs to Haru's place. Despite his slow pace, on the inside he could hardly contain his excitement. A fishing trip, over the weekend with a small hotel to stay in as well. Unfortunately Nagisa and Rei couldn't make it , Makoto highly suspected it was because of the time of year being the 14th of February and all but he wasn't going to say anything about it...But then apparently Rin had a thing so he also couldn't come. He didn't know what that thing was, Rin had just said a thing... Makoto could tell if he was plotting something or honestly occupied. He had told Haru there would be water, swimming and mackerel; so obviously he was coming. He got to the Nanases' front door and knocked, no reply but that was practically routine; accepting this he walked around to the side door.

"Excuse me!" Stepping through the door, Makoto headed up to Haru's bedroom; the door was open, no-one inside. Of course, the bathroom; traditionally his next stop. He grabbed a towel and headed over. "I'm coming in." Walking inside, he noticed something terribly out of place. Haru was not in the bath. There wasn't even any water. Something had to be wrong, naturally, Makoto assumed the worst. Had he been Kidnapped? Was there some kind of Accident? Was it Murder?

"Haru?" Makoto left the bathroom half-running. "Haru!" The kitchen, he could always be in the kitchen. "Haru!" He didn't smell any mackerel but he had to be somewhere. He burst through the kitchen door, no Haru. "Haru, please! This isn't funny!" Flustered, he ran through the living room back to the hallway. Wait, did he just see... Backing up slowly he gave a second glance to the sofa. A pile of blankets. A pile... Of blankets... Haru... Makoto walked slowly over and peeled off the top layer of blankets to reveal a small, sleeping face and a dark mess of hair. He couldn't help but smile, despite his previous worries he felt immense relief and... Haru looked incredibly cute wrapped up in blankets. Not only was he fast asleep on his sofa, he was also surrounded by various papers, stationary and assignments. "Guess you had the same idea, huh?" Despite his reluctance to ruin the moment, Haru really needed to get ready. "Haru, Haru..." He shook his friend's shoulder gently. No, this would never work; if Haru couldn't hear him shouting, he wouldn't be waking up so easily, just how late had he been up? A better plan came to mind. Walking back upstairs, Makoto entered the bathroom and turned on the taps. Soon, the sound of gushing water filled the room but it wasn't loud enough to block out the thump that came from downstairs. Haru was up. He heard scuffling and thuds, coming closer until at last his friend burst through the door. The same deadpan expression as always but his hair and clothes were a mess, obviously slept in; honestly.

"Makoto." Just a small statement as a greeting, that was fine.

"Good Morning, Haru." Makoto replied in turn with a smile, although for him 10am already felt like the afternoon. "I'll go put on some mackerel, you'll have to be quick with your bath though or we'll be late." He walked past Haru out the door. "You'll be able to swim when we get there though." The sparkle in his friend's eyes couldn't be easily missed . Suppressing a chuckle, Makoto headed back to the kitchen, more relaxed this time round. He wasn't as good as cooking as Haru but he'd do his best.

* * *

Half an hour later Haru had been coaxed from the water and mackerel had been eaten. Thankfully, Haru had already packed and soon enough they were at the train station; in time too. A humbly accepted break in bad luck. It was ruined when he got caught in the train doors but it was fine in the end, it stung a little but he made it onto the train. They didn't get seats though, at least not until a few stations along as the numbers started the thin out. Looking out the window, Makoto watched the town melt away into countryside and farms and soon enough into the stretch of coast they were staying at.

"Look, Haru!" Makoto pointed at the landscape outside of the train window, Haru turned to join him, although Makoto highly suspected he was only looking at the ocean. Leaving the train, Makoto found a map board to consult before leading Haru in the direction of the hotel. He succeeded to step in two separate puddles and trip over his own feet, good thing only Haru was there; Nagisa would never let him live down this bad luck.

"What happened to your face?" The question caught Makoto off guard.

"Sorry?"

"You have a plaster..." Oh, of course, the vase.

"It was nothing, just a small accident."

"You should be more careful." Makoto laughed softly, it wasn't him that needed to be careful.

"Yeah, I guess..." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. This was the most Haru had said all day, maybe it was because he had just woken up recently, maybe he had been suppressing excitement over seeing the hotel... Yeah, no, it was because he had just woken up. He would only be excited about the water. The hotel room was nice though, tidy if somewhat minimalist but well stylised with a prominently beach driven theme. They both unpacked, Makoto making light conversation as they did so. "Hey, It's still only 2pm, we can fit in some fishing now. What d'ya say?" Haru blinked once before nodding.

"Sure." That was all the invitation he needed. After renting the gear they needed, they headed out to the beach; it was the sort of scene that belonged on a postcard. Dark blue water, light dancing on it's surface, and a wide, sandy beach that stretched out as far as the eyes could see with several piers jutting out into the ocean along the way. Haru instinctually made a beeline to the water, already in the process of taking his shirt off.

"Haru!" Makoto grabbed his shoulder, turning him in the other direction. "Fishing, remember?" He smiled reassuringly. "We can go swimming together later." Pouting slightly, Haru lowered his shirt and turned away from the water although his eyes remained fixed. Well, it was better than stripping. Makoto couldn't tell if he had just gotten used to the stripping or if he sort of liked seeing it and he didn't really know which answer was worse. Quickly changing his train of thought, Makoto tried to think about the fishing as they started walking down the beach.

"How about that one?" Makoto pointed at the only pier to lack fishermen. They wandered over and took a seat; setting up, he continued his one-sided small talk. Occasionally, Haru would reply but for the most of it they simply enjoyed each other's company. At 4pm however he felt something on his cheek. Rain? But the report had said... Just his luck, it must have only covered the Iwatobi area. Haru seemed to notice it at the same time, holding out his hand to confirm it. As the dark clouds rolled in, thunder started rumbling from somewhere in the distance. Blessed with the nerves of a 4-year old, Makoto almost fell of the pier; thankfully Haru caught his top and pulled him back in time.

"Thanks, Haru." Thunder again, closer this time. "Ahh.. We should probably find some shelter..." Makoto couldn't keep the nervousness from his voice. Naturally, Haru noticed his disposition and stood up.

"What about over there?" Haru pointed to the bus shelter on the other side of the beach.

"Y-yeah. Sounds good." Still half spooked, Makoto helped Haru pack up their equipment as the rain started to fall more frequently. When the skies broke into a downfall they were only half way across the beach and running at full pelt. They were already soaked by the time they reached the shelter. In this weather they'd never get back to the hotel by foot, at least not without getting ill. Wait, they were in a bus station, it was only natural to catch a bus. Makoto shuffled over to the timetable fixed on the wall. "Ok, next bus at six O'clock." He muttered to himself. "Time now is..." Makoto looked down at his watch. "Ah, five past four... Five... Past... Four..." A little dismayed, he returned to where Haru was standing who proceeded to look up at him expectantly. Why that face? Feeling like he was about to kick a puppy, Makoto decided to start with an apology.

"Sorry, Haru. The next bus is only coming in two hours so... so we're stuck here." He looked down feeling guilty. "I should have been more careful checking the weather report, I guess now we can't go fishing," It was all his fault and he'd dragged Haru into this. The only seating under the shelter was a small bench but it didn't stop them huddling on it; both wet and cold, it was a mutual decision that embarrassment could wait for later.

* * *

 

An hour had passed and Haru was shivering violently despite Makoto's attempts to shield him from the weather. Either way, even if they took the bus now, Haru was going to get sick.

"Haru?" Looking down, Haru was very visibly, indisputably, ill. Curling up against Makoto's chest, Haru was pale and feverish with a slight flush across his cheeks. He put the back his hand against his friend's forehead it was confirmed, he was burning up. It might just be a cold but fevers were never fun.

55 minutes later and the bus came in, practically falling apart, it had to have been over 60 years old. He helped Haru on and bought two tickets, shuffling to the closest seats the pair sat down especially grateful for the cushioning. The bus took off, rumbling and groaning all the way. With nothing else to do, Makoto spent his time between staring out the window and glancing down at Haru. Another 30 minutes later they  had been dropped off near the hotel, risking a few brief moments in the rain Makoto half-dragged Haru inside, politely dismissing the receptionist's concerns, he made a request for more towels before heading up to their room. He set his friend down gently on his bed awkwardly stripping him of his outer layers to keep him warm leaving him in only his t-shirt and trunks before tucking him in; he figured he could wait until Haru was more lucid before he got properly changed. He could try and convince himself it was nothing he hadn't seen before, even if Haru always wore trunks he still had to get changed at some point as part of a swimming club; but he thought it'd feel like he was taking advantage, and it'd be really hard to explain when Haru woke up. Makoto pulled up a chair and let himself collapse into it. Even though Haru looked so peaceful sleeping, Makoto could shake his feeling of guilt over the day's events.

"Sorry, Haru." Makoto sighed, he sure had a lot to say but how could he put it.  "I'm sorry I messed up our trip..." I'm sorry that I didn't check the weather properly,  that you got sick, that I built up your hopes and now you can't even swim. You might not be able to for a while. You didn't get to eat any mackerel or even go in the water. I'm sorry I messed every thing, I know that's all you were coming for...

"Makoto!" Haru? He looked down to see Haru, wide awake and staring up at him. When did he wake up? What had distu... Wait, had he just said that out loud? Oh God, he did.

"Har..." He was cut off by a small unintelligible sentence. What was that? Makoto furrowed his eyebrows. "Haru?"

"I said I already wanted to come." Haru met his eyes, blue meeting green. "It wasn't the mackerel. It wasn't entirely the water either..."

"Haru..." Wait, did he say 'entirely'?

"I- I..." He looked down briefly, a blush crossing his cheeks. Finally building up confidence, Haru sat up pressing a kiss to Makoto's lips. It was quick and awkward but it happened. Makoto's face became flushed with red but he didn't lean away. "I love you, Makoto." Haru's gaze dropped as Makoto found himself unable to come to terms with what had just happened. Haru rarely had any outbursts, he had to be serious. He was practically frozen in shock; no, not practically, he was frozen in shock. That Haru returned the same feelings he had tried to discard himself. That he was ready to admit them too, even under the threat of rejection. Not speaking was a mistake. Haru was getting increasingly self-conscious. Did he think that Makoto... Having been selfish enough to keep his real emotions hidden from Haru, he just couldn't hide them now. Makoto closed the distance, trapping Haru in a bear hug. He wasn't going to let him slip through his fingers.

Initially, Haru was too surprised by the embrace to move, did this mean Makoto shared his feelings? Or was it just out of sympathy? At any rate, Haru didn't know how to react in this kind of situation.

"Makoto, your crushing me..."

"I love you too." A complete flush crept over Haru's face. "I love you, Haru."  Elapsing into silence the only sounds left in the world to them were the pattering of the rain on the windows beside them and the rustling of fabrics as Haru hugged Makoto back, pressing his face into his chest. After a little while, Haru tugged on his friend's shirt. His thoughts disrupted, Makoto opened his eyes to see Haru, somehow looking more sheepish than before. He tugged on his shirt again.

"Join me." Makoto beamed at him with no hesitation he slid into the bed settling down to cuddle the smaller boy, blushing when he became conscious of Haru's lack of trousers.

"Happy Valentines day." A laugh escaped Makoto, mainly from the insanity for their situation; well, could he really call it that when it felt so right?

"Happy Valentines day, Haru."

Maybe this wasn't such a bad day after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't really written any fics with an orientation on relationships and there is probably a lot of grammatical errors and OOCness.


End file.
